Game ball

ABSTRACT

A game ball includes two molded semi-spherical members each having an outer peripheral portions, and the peripheral portions of the molded semi-spherical members may be engaged with each other and welded or secured together to form the game ball. One of the molded semi-spherical members may include a valve for selectively inflating the game ball. Either of the molded semi-spherical members includes a pattern formed on the outer peripheral portion. The peripheral portions of the molded semi-spherical members may be welded together with such as ultrasonic waves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a game ball, and more particularly to agame ball including an easily manufacturing structure for allowing thegame ball to be easily and quickly manufactured, without polluting ourenvironment.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various kinds of typical game balls or sports balls have been developedand used, and comprise such as volley balls, foot balls, basket balls,or other inflatable or resilient or bouncing balls that may be made ormanufactured with various kinds of manufacturing methods.

Some of the typical game balls or sports balls are made of poly vinylchloride (PVC) materials which is a chemical material having a strongacid characteristic, and a stabilized agent is required to be added intothe PVC materials while making the balls. However, the PVC materials maynot be recycled, and may generate dioxin that may pollute ourenvironment.

The other typical game balls or sports balls are made of poly urethane(PU) materials, and a catalyzing agent or vulcanizing agent is requiredto be added into the PU materials while making the balls. However, thecatalyzing agent or vulcanizing agent may also pollute our environment.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,375 to Uruba et al. discloses one of the typicalgame balls including an inner bladder, and a layer of yarn wound aboutor over or around the inner bladder. However, a complicated yarn windingmachine or facility is required for winding the yarn about or over oraround the inner bladder, and it takes a long time to wind the yarnabout or over or around the inner bladder.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,648 to Aoyama discloses another typical inflatablegame ball including a number of layers, and one or more vulcanizingprocesses are required for manufacturing the balls. However, similarly,the vulcanizing processes and/or materials may also pollute ourenvironment.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,897 to Lees discloses a further typical smoothbasketball including an inner bladder, and a cover that surrounds thebladder, in which the cover may include one or more winding layers andone or more stock layers that may not be easily and quickly attached orsecured onto the inner bladder.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,894 to Lee discloses a still further typical rubberbasketball including a sheet of rubber materials which is required to becut into a bladder, and the bladder is then required to be inflated, atleast one thread is then required to be wound about or over or aroundthe inner bladder with a wrapping machine, a number of rubber sheets arefurther required to be cut and attached onto the wrapped layer, a grooveis required to be made between adjacent rubber sheets, and a thinner andnarrower strip is then required to be bond at each junction of adjacentrubber sheets. However, the manufacturing processes are complicated andtime consuming and expensive.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages of the conventional game balls or sportsballs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a game ballincluding an easily manufacturing structure for allowing the game ballto be easily and quickly manufactured, without polluting ourenvironment.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a gameball comprising two molded semi-spherical members each including anouter peripheral portions, and the peripheral portions of the moldedsemi-spherical members may be engaged with each other and welded orsecured together to form the game ball.

One of the molded semi-spherical members include a valve attachedthereto for selectively inflating the game ball. Either of the moldedsemi-spherical members includes a pattern provided on an outerperipheral portion thereof. The peripheral portions of the moldedsemi-spherical members may be welded together with such as ultrasonicwaves.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a careful reading of the detailed description providedhereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial exploded view of a game ball in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the game ball; and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the game ball taken along lines 3-3of FIG. 2, illustrating the inner structure of the game ball.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, a game ball 10 in accordance with the presentinvention comprises two semi-spherical members or half members 11, 12made of soft or resilient rubbers or other synthetic materials that maybe recycled, and that may be heat sealed, or that may be hot pressed.The two semi-spherical members or half members 11, 12 each may includean outer peripheral portion 13, and the peripheral portions 13 of thetwo semi-spherical members or half members 11, 12 may then be engagedwith each other and heat sealed or welded together by such as ultrasonicwaves, or the like, for allowing the two semi-spherical members or halfmembers 11, 12 to be easily and quickly secured together to form thegame ball 10.

It is to be noted that the two semi-spherical members or half members11, 12 may also be formed or made or manufactured with such as molding,or mold-injection processes without vulcanizing processes, such that nochemical materials will pollute our environment. A valve 14 may beattached or secured into one of the two semi-spherical members or halfmembers 11 such as while molding or mold-injecting the twosemi-spherical members or half members 11, 12, for allowing the gameball 10 to be selectively inflated by the users or by other inflatingpumps or the like.

It is further to be noted that the two semi-spherical members or halfmembers 11, 12 may be easily and quickly molded or mold-injected withone mold device (not shown) for forming one of the game balls 10, suchas volley balls, and another mold device (not shown) for forming theother game balls 10, such as foot balls, and a further mold device (notshown) for forming the further game balls 10, such as basket balls, andthe other mold devices (not shown) for forming the further game balls10, such as other inflatable or resilient or bouncing balls, such thatonly one mold device is good enough for forming or making ormanufacturing each of the game balls 10, such as volley balls, footballs, basket balls, or other inflatable or resilient or bouncing balls.

As shown in FIG. 2, either or both of the two semi-spherical members orhalf members 11, 12 of the game balls 10 may further include a suitablypattern 15 formed or provided on an outer peripheral portion 16 thereoffor such as decorative purposes, or marking purposes, or the like. Thepatterns 15 may be easily and quickly formed on the outer peripheralportion 16 of the game balls 10 with such as the mold devices (notshown) without painting processes, printing processes, draftingprocesses, carving processes, or the like.

In addition, the two semi-spherical members or half members 11, 12 maybe made into a uniform thickness with the molding, or mold-injectionprocesses, and only one hot pressing, or heat sealing or welding processis good enough to secure the two semi-spherical members or half members11, 12 together to form the game ball 10, without generating anypoisonous gases. Furthermore, the soft or resilient rubbers or othersynthetic materials for making the two semi-spherical members or halfmembers 11, 12 may be recycled and thus will not pollute ourenvironment, and the recycled materials may further be heated or meltedand used to mold or to mold-inject the game balls 10.

Accordingly, the game ball in accordance with the present inventionincludes an easily manufacturing structure for allowing the game ball tobe easily and quickly manufactured, without polluting our environment.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made by way of example only and that numerous changes in thedetailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A game ball comprising: two molded semi-spherical members eachincluding an outer peripheral portions, and said peripheral portions ofsaid molded semi-spherical members being engaged with each other andwelded together to form said game ball.
 2. The game ball as claimed inclaim 1, wherein one of said molded semi-spherical members include avalve attached thereto for selectively inflating said game ball.
 3. Thegame ball as claimed in claim 1, wherein either of said moldedsemi-spherical members includes a pattern provided on an outerperipheral portion thereof.
 4. The game ball as claimed in claim 1,wherein said peripheral portions of said molded semi-spherical membersare welded together with ultrasonic waves.